In the world of cricket, players like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Virat Kohli are often considered some of the greatest. However, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting has named a South African player as the greatest cricketer of all time. That player is Jacques Kallis.
Ponting’s Praise for Kallis
In a recent interview on “The Howie Games” podcast, Ponting praised Kallis, saying, “Jacques Kallis is the player who has no comparison. I don’t care about anyone else. He scored 13,000 runs, hit 44-45 centuries in Tests, and took 300 wickets. Achieving even one of these milestones is extraordinary, but Kallis did both. He was a natural cricketer, had superb slip fielding skills, and his game was unique. Kallis is one of the best and most underrated cricketers because he was calm by nature and didn’t appear much in the media.”
Jacques Kallis’ International Stats
- Test Cricket: Kallis played 166 Test matches, scoring 13,289 runs and taking 292 wickets. He hit 45 centuries and 58 half-centuries in Tests and took 200 catches.
- One-Day Internationals (ODIs): In 328 ODIs, Kallis scored 11,579 runs at an average of 44.36 and took 273 wickets at an average of 31.79. He also made 17 centuries and 86 half-centuries, and took 131 catches.
- T20 Internationals: Kallis played 25 T20 internationals, scoring 666 runs at an average of 35.05 and taking 12 wickets at an average of 27.75. He also scored 5 half-centuries and took 7 catches in T20Is.
Kallis’ all-round achievements in cricket have earned him admiration from many, including Ricky Ponting.
